Day two of the Trip of Wonders starting with an early breakfast at 6:30 am. It was our first day of diving so anticipation was in the air as we enjoyed a continental spread at the hotel. We boarded the bus for a short ride before stepping onto our dive boat.
The boat cruised for just under an hour while we sat and relaxed on the deck in the sun. Our first dive was at a location called Babylon, which has a huge drop. As we plunged into the warm water I couldn’t help but smile about how clear the water was. The clarity was just phenomenal.
Two local fishermen were kind enough to delay their duties so we could be in the water when they checked their traps. They set bamboo fish traps on the sea floor and free dive down to check them. I saw some traps set at 20m deep, which is an incredibly deep dive. However, for these locals of Alor, they dive without fins and use homemade goggles.
We then went on to visit two more dive sites and enjoy the incredible clarity and diverse underwater environment only such an untouched island can offer. I was glad to be back underwater and brushed up on my skills from my scuba course last month.
I shot these photos on a GoPro Hero 5, which was quite challenging due to its low light deficiencies. However, it performed okay in enough instances that make it a decent tool to have in the belt.
A pod of dolphins joined us for just long enough to send up the drone and take a look from the sky. I threw together a few clips to show you just how many dolphins were in this pod!
We have another two dives tomorrow in Alor, and I’ve heard rumors about the possibility of swimming with a dugong. Time will tell.
Tia
Sunday 27th of August 2017
That cool???